Media views on Duncan, Ginobili and Massenburg

It’s everything you would expect with the Spurs holding a one-game lead in the NBA Finals. Observers are heaping praise on Tim Duncan and pondering Manu Ginobili’s health. And a look at the odyssey of Spurs veteran Tony Massenburg.

Duncan is what he is, and he’s not what he’s not. What he’s not, is the electric personality that can turn the NBA Finals from a ratings sinkhole into a water-cooler spectacle. What he is, is the best and most important player in the Finals, according to David Steele of the Baltimore Sun.

Ginobili declared himself physically ready and even the Pistons brushed off the poor game as a blip on the screen. “I don’t think there is any way you are going to stop him,” said Pistons coach Larry Brown. “He’s just relentless. He’s special,” according to Greg Boeck of USA Today.

The Pistons would like to think they had something to do with Ginobili’s tough night at the office in Game 3, but the Spurs claim to know better. Suffice it to say, when the hottest player in the NBA Finals shoots 2-for-6 with six turnovers, there are physical circumstances in play, according to Dave D’Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger.

If his basketball life is remembered at all, Massenburg will be called a journeyman — perhaps the epitome of the word. We should all be so wise for the journey. We should all see the world with such balance and sense of privilege rather than entitlement, according to John P. Lopez of the Houston Chronicle.

The Detroit Pistons are 1-0 in this season’s NBA Finals when Ben Wallace is not wearing cornrows. On Tuesday night Wallace let his hair out and let loose his game, according to Barbara Barker of New York Newsday.

Three-time and reigning NBA defensive player of the year Wallace credited his wife with helping him break out of his slump, according to John N. Mitchell of the Washington Times.